Buy The Fundamentals Of A Home Bar

It's awesome that you have leftover cinnamon vodka and margarita mixer from your last house party. Now it's time to get serious.

On your bar: at least three base spirits (the best you can afford) -- gin, vodka and tequila or rum. A good aged whisky for sipping. Also, Angostura bitters, Cointreau or other orange liqueur, bottled soda water (sealed), Campari or other amaro and sweet vermouth.

In your freezer: Fresh ice only (booze doesn't benefit from an icy stay).

Bar tools: a mixing glass for stirring and a tin for shaking, a Hawthorne strainer (the flat, circular strainer with the spring around it), a jigger for measured pours and a long skinny bar spoon are all helpful for making decent cocktails (want to know why your Manhattan doesn't taste like the one in your favorite bar? It could be sloppy pours and poor mixing). You don't need an actual bar setup, but a dedicated area allowing storage, easy access and on-site mixing helps.